03-24-2008, 07:10 PM
A Montanan from Great Falls, whose life was saved because he was wearing a life jacket, is a winner of the national "Be a Survivor!" essay contest sponsored by the National Safe Boating Council in Washington, D.C.
Tyson Hajek won third place for his essay describing how a life jacket saved his life during Montana's Spring runoff white-water season.
The contest engages boaters nationwide in sharing their personal stories about how a life jacket made a difference in their boating experience.
Hajek was among 50 boaters who entered the contest from across the United States. First place winner was Jane Alexander of Surf City, North Carolina and second place went to Carter Ullman of Lake Wales, Florida.
"Wearing a life jacket saved my life while I was surfing small rapids on the Blackfoot River," Hajek said. He was in a new six-foot catamaran style raft. The current was pushing him at about five or six mph and he wanted to test his new vessel's limitations.
"The particular rapid that I was surfing was a little over six feet and had a depression that I was able to use to suck my raft into the backwash with," he said.
He surfed successfully for about two to three minutes until the right side of the raft went down into the rapid while the left side was pushed up into the backwash.
Before he knew it he was upside down with an oar in each hand.
"I let go of the oars and pushed myself out of the rowing seat," Hajek said.
Unfortunately he was stuck between his raft and the bottom of the riverbed.
"Luckily my life jacket forced my head toward the surface where I breached under my raft into a mesh netting allowing me to suck in a lungful of air with which I used to push myself back under water for a few more intense seconds before resurfacing. Then I swam over and clung to my capsized vessel," he said.
Hajek continued down the river this way with no way to pull himself up on top of his vessel. He said it felt like a mile, but it may have been about a quarter of a mile before his brother, Steve Hajek, who was floating with him, assisted in turning his vessel back over.
After not seeing his brother's head come out of the water for over a minute, Steve had expected the worst.
"My life jacket reduced my time under water and worked as an insulator for the remainder of my trip," Hajek said. "My life jacket may have saved me from a bout of hypothermia as well as from drowning."
Tyson Hajek won third place for his essay describing how a life jacket saved his life during Montana's Spring runoff white-water season.
The contest engages boaters nationwide in sharing their personal stories about how a life jacket made a difference in their boating experience.
Hajek was among 50 boaters who entered the contest from across the United States. First place winner was Jane Alexander of Surf City, North Carolina and second place went to Carter Ullman of Lake Wales, Florida.
"Wearing a life jacket saved my life while I was surfing small rapids on the Blackfoot River," Hajek said. He was in a new six-foot catamaran style raft. The current was pushing him at about five or six mph and he wanted to test his new vessel's limitations.
"The particular rapid that I was surfing was a little over six feet and had a depression that I was able to use to suck my raft into the backwash with," he said.
He surfed successfully for about two to three minutes until the right side of the raft went down into the rapid while the left side was pushed up into the backwash.
Before he knew it he was upside down with an oar in each hand.
"I let go of the oars and pushed myself out of the rowing seat," Hajek said.
Unfortunately he was stuck between his raft and the bottom of the riverbed.
"Luckily my life jacket forced my head toward the surface where I breached under my raft into a mesh netting allowing me to suck in a lungful of air with which I used to push myself back under water for a few more intense seconds before resurfacing. Then I swam over and clung to my capsized vessel," he said.
Hajek continued down the river this way with no way to pull himself up on top of his vessel. He said it felt like a mile, but it may have been about a quarter of a mile before his brother, Steve Hajek, who was floating with him, assisted in turning his vessel back over.
After not seeing his brother's head come out of the water for over a minute, Steve had expected the worst.
"My life jacket reduced my time under water and worked as an insulator for the remainder of my trip," Hajek said. "My life jacket may have saved me from a bout of hypothermia as well as from drowning."